Promises (Ninjago's Kai x Reader)

Episode 9 - When Everything Falls Apart

I realize I don't know where I'm going, but I summon my dragon anyway and fly off in the direction my gut tells me to. I fly hard and fast. My heart is racing, pounding in my ears. Adrenaline is the only thing keeping me awake; whatever that vision was, it weakened me immensely. But I must get there in time-- I have to be able to save them.

Before I know it, I'm hovering over the museum. I know for a fact that Cole, Zane, Jay, and Lloyd came here: this is only the first step in finding them.

My dragon disappears and I drop to the ground. For a moment, my balance fails me. I don't dwell on it. I move forward into the building, keeping a quick pace. It is dark and empty here: normal, considering it's almost midnight. I summon a ball of energy to my fist to help me see, except the tendrils are darker than usual. They're no longer silver and lilac colored, they're grey and magenta.

Something churns in my stomach, telling me to turn back now. For some reason, I feel I'll only make it worse.

But no. That can't be true. My friends need me.

I keep moving forward, passing statues and paintings that detail Ninjago's history. I pass the picture of Kai's parents, recalling the moment we shared in their presence. For their sake, I must keep moving. I will save their son's life, even if it leads to my death.

Beside an old gold sarcophagus, there is a gaping hole in the wall, sort of like a doorway. I almost missed it, if it weren't for the faint orange glow illuminating the inside.

Again, something in my gut tells me to turn back. Maybe it's fear?

I step into the room, which appears to be a top-secret layer. There's old fashioned computers everywhere, a map of Ninjago, and then this giant tank thingy that's emitting the orange light. In the far corner of the room, there's another gaping hole. This one is pitch black, and I can only assume the ninja decided to explore it.

It's times like these that I really wish my elemental dragon could become an elemental horse or something. I have no idea how far this tunnel goes and only my feet to take me through it. Despite my exhaustion, I break into a jog.

After at least an hour of running, I finally spot a light up ahead. It's still a couple of miles away, give or take, but now I have a goal to run towards. I pick up my pace, despite the ache in my legs and chest and stomach.

The light I saw at the end of the tunnel turned out to be a giant cavern, full of buildings, trees, streams, and more of those glowing orange pods--vermillion eggs, I realized. In the center of the cavern, there's this giant, metal machine that kinda looks like a warrior. Crux and Acronix must've made it, and whatever it is, it cannot be good.

Fortunately, there's a pretty decent walkway down from the tunnel. I choose the path that leads directly towards the giant thing in the center, but when I'm about halfway there, I stop in my tracks.

"Does anyone copy? I need help!"

I abandon the path I'm on and rush into the bushes towards the sound of my brother's voice. I find him hanging on for dear life to a twig sticking out the edge of a pit.

"Lloyd!"

"Tasha?"

I grab my brother's free hand and pull him up to safety.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah! Are you? How did you get here?"

"It doesn't matter," I say. "I had another vision, and we need to save Wu."

"What? What's gonna happen?"

For a moment, I let my guard down, and all the weight I've been carrying for the past few hours suddenly comes crashing down on me. My legs buckle and my brother catches me, but it doesn't matter because I still can't breathe.